Topic: politics

The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a proposal that could accelerate the testing and deployment of self-driving cars, though not without safety concerns from some parties.

A panel of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee has tentatively voted to move forward with a proposal that, if turned into law, would establish a relatively loose federal framework for testing self-driving cars, including Apple's "Project Titan."

Democrats and Republicans squared off on Tuesday during a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee meeting on self-driving cars, contesting policies which could ultimately affect both the testing and launch of products being developed by Apple.

An inaugural meeting of the American Technology Council -- organized by the Trump administration, and led by President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner -- will reportedly take place at the White House on June 19, and may see as many as 12 major tech executives attend, including Apple's Tim Cook.

Executives from 14 companies such as Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and Google have sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, asking him and the state legislature not to pass a bill that would block transgendered people from using bathrooms matching their gender identities.

U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly signed a new executive order, creating a council meant to "transform and modernize" government IT systems. Simultaneously, the White House revealed a series of meetings in June, during which some 20 high-tech CEOs -- likely including Apple's Tim Cook -- will be brought in to discuss the topic.

On Monday U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce a new White House agency dubbed the "Office of American Innovation," staffed by former business executives and advised by current ones -- among them Apple CEO Tim Cook.

The U.S. Senate has voted in favor of overturning privacy rules instituted by the Federal Communications Commission in 2016, which -- if the measure survives a second vote in the House of Representatives -- will allow internet service providers to sell customer data to advertisers without people having a say.

Apple is searching for a new director of public policy as it looks to both influence and react to government policies and regulations worldwide, according to an official job listing discovered by AppleInsider.